The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently surveyed 1,000 fitness experts about the best type of exercise to get fit and achieve better health in less time.

And you’ll be happy to know that bodyweight exercise stole the show.

Yep. It was more popular and coveted than traditional weights or machines. And more sought after than some of the highly promoted ‘box’ workouts.

It should come as no surprise, really though…

Bodyweight exercise can be done anywhere, anytime. Which means you can chip away at a fabulous body whether you’re at work, at home, or on the go. The sheer convenience of bodyweight exercise makes staying consistent with your training so much easier. And above all else, consistency is the KEY to your success.

Simply put, there’s no better way to rapidly lose body fat, build lean muscle, and get in amazing shape … all while staying as pain free as possible.

This ultimate collection of bodyweight resources from the top fitness and nutrition experts in the world including me, hands you the variety you need to keep your body transformation fun, fresh and balanced enough to ensure you’re workouts never grow stale or uninspired.

One of the least trained physical attributes in MMA, Martial Arts and Combat Sports is mobility.

Last year I spent a full day with the great Steve Maxwell working on and learning about the importance mobility drills and bodyweight flow movements for athletes.

Mobility, or joint mobility, is the ability to move a limb through the full range of motion–with control. Different from flexibility, mobility is based on voluntary movement while flexibility involves static hold.

Today I am going to show you a video a couple of two-minute body weight flow routines. These movements are taken from Trainer Tyler Bramlett’s ne program Bodyweight Flow and if used regularly, can help you increase your mobility, decrease chances of injury, improve your strength and even burn more calories.

These movements are taken from Tyler Bramlett’s new program Bodyweight Flow and if used regularly can help you to i

Increase Mobility = Injury Prevention

MMA and Marital Arts In general are arguably come of the most physically demanding sports in the world.

Even the best-conditioned and technical fighters are at constant risk of injury every time they step on the mat to train or compete

To reduce the chance of injury and improve their overall conditioning, all strength & conditioning programs should be built around a solid joint mobility preparation routine.

When your joint is unable to move through its full range, it is what Steve Maxwell dubs as compromised.

When joints are compromised movement is present in a joint, surrounding joints take up the slack, creating extra stress all around.

This will lead constant injuries in the joints and stiffness. If your body is tight and stiff, then you won’t be fluid when fighting on the ground or on your feet.

The solution?

A joint mobility program like Tyler’s Bodyweight Flow.

Joint mobility exercise stimulates and circulates the synovial fluid in the bursa, which ‘washes’ the joint. The joints have no direct blood supply and are nourished by this synovial fluid, which simultaneously removes waste products.

You can use mobility exercises as a warm up, an active recovery during other activities, or as a stand-alone workout. You can rejuvenate yourself and reclaim the movement of a child with a good joint mobility program

Thought I would create and share a St.Paddy’s Day 300 Workout for those of you that need a challenging circuit before you go out to celebrate or a workout for tomorrow so you can burn off all those drinking calories without feeling guilty!

St Paddy’s Day 300 Workout

Complete the following circuit as fast as possible:
Perform each exercise for the prescribed reps one at a time. After you complete 50 reps of the first exercise move on to the next exercise.

Abs and Core Finisher circuit from last night’s conditioning for fighter’s session.

Perform each exercise for 60 seconds with a 10 second rest one after the other for one round. Build core and abs strength to help you reduce injuries, increase mobility and improve athletic performance

Contrast Training is great way to build more power and explosive strength, which is key to improving your athletic performance.

Contrasts consist of alternating a heavy resistance exercise such as a heavy barbell squat with a biomechanically similar explosive plyometric movement such as the jump squat.

The benefit is increased power output and faster force production, both of which are essential for MMA, martial arts and combat sports.

Contrast training improves neuromuscular efficiency with a post-activation potentiation (PAP) effect in which the muscle force is greater after performing the initial strength exercise because the signal from the central nervous system to the muscle has been optimally activated.

Neural drive increases, allowing for greater power output in the ballistic exercise.

There is also evidence that better energy production in the muscles contributes to the enhanced performance because nutrient levels are more available so the muscle works better.

Additionally, when you perform contrast workouts, you excite fibers (use ones that you have not used) they will tear. They will grow once you have torn them and the cross section will have increased (this type of training will still create functional hypertrophy although is falls under the relative strength parameters).

Contrast Training Set Up

For each contrast set, the weight heavy lift should be 75-90% of 1RM, depending on the exercise. You should perform 1-5 reps of the heavy exercise followed by3-8 reps of the high velocity movement.

When you keep the rep volume low during the heavy lift, this will lessen fatigue and allow for maximum force during the explosive movement, which will maximize the effects of PAP.

The rest period between the two exercises may vary from 5-30 seconds again depending on your goals and the specific contrast training set up.

After the set of exercises are done you can rest between 45 seconds and 3 minutes…again depending on the set up

Always make sure you perform warm up sets prior to starting complex training to get the blood flowing

Complex training exercise pairing can also include supersets, triceps and even quad sets of exercises.

RULES
➢ Complex training involves alternating biomechanically similar high load training and plyo-exercises- set for set within the same workout
➢ Complex training should follow a periodized model which requires an athlete to possess functional strength and participate a preparatory base strength phase
➢ Complex training needs to be biomechanically and velocity specific to sport
➢ Rest can vary from 15 seconds to 4 minutes
➢ More time efficient workouts
➢ Lots of sets
➢ Very high intensity, Never over 5 reps

Contrast Training workout Routine

In the workout below we out together an upper body push superset complex with two exercises and a lower body hip dominant complex using three exercises.

Great challenge originally created my strength and conditioning coach Martin Rooney of Training For Warriors

The Rules

Begin the test in the up position.

Start the timer before the first descent.

For a rep to count, you must go all the way down until the elbow is at least at a 90-degree angle (chest 2 inches off the floor) and lock out the elbows at the top. The core must stay locked and move up and down with every rep using the toes as the fulcrum of the movement.

You can rest/stop whenever you want, but the clock must keep running.

Poor reps in terms of body position or putting down a knee before a rep is completed don’t count toward the total score.

The workout will help to build upper body strength and power. Strength is defined as the total force one can exert under voluntary effort. For the combat athlete superior strength is essential.

In competition and during training you may need to lift, throw, physically restrain, clinch & move or manipulate the joints of an opponent, all of which require the ability to exert influence over a tough and resistant opponent.

The key is developing your major, small stabilizer and neutralizing muscles.

The need for explosive power is one of the most important attributes as it allows you to be outwork your opponent every time. Often confused with strength, power production and management (i.e. use what you need when you need it) is dependent upon how well conditioned your energy systems are. Power can be developed through exercises and workouts like compound movements and Olympic lifts.

The exercises in each workout should be performed in a controlled yet explosive fashion. Complete this routine with as much intensity than and in as little time as you possibly can.

Use weight that is challenging and continue to increase as you progress through the weeks. Use this workout once a week at the beginning when you are rested, fresh and can lift heavy without risk of injury.
Use the abs finisher to end off this workout session.

Perform each exercise and superset below for the prescribed sets and reps. Rest

Here is another awesome 5 Station workout for you or your fighters to try this week. Thousands of combat fighters, UFC, professional MMA fighters, amateurs, beginners, Crossfitters, trainers and coaches have used or are using these workouts in their training centre or gym.

This workout has 5 stations all focusing on different aspects of what you will need to become a well-conditioned athlete and mentally tough. You will work through each station one by one for 5 minutes each.

Conditioning Class for Fighters #9 at evolucaothai.com on Thursday. This is a highlight of the fighters and fitness enthusiasts going through this tough bodyweight circuit. Fighter already had 1.5hrs of BJJ and now 1 hour of bodyweight conditioning for MMA.

They all worked very hard as usual and are becoming fat burning, muscle building, Conditioning Beasts!

Metabolic Bodyweight Workout – “Side Plate of Shrimp”

Perform as many reps as possible of each exercise for 60 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds rest. Complete all 10 exercises and rest for 2 minutes and finish 3 full rounds

As you may know I’m always looking for what’s new, and what’s giving people the best in REAL-WORLD results.

The other day my buddy Travis Stoetzel, who’s an awesome strength coach and high level Crossfit competitor just released his newest (and BEST) program for people who are looking to get themselves literally into the best shape of their life or in his words, to “transform yourself into a complete badass”.

Seriously, that’s the name of the program and trust me, just by looking at what Travis has laid out within this newly evolved system has got me super excited in giving this program a full go, especially with my fighters.

He calls the special programming within his new training system, “The Controlled Chaos” method and from the video of my session yesterday, it’s exactly that.

Travis defines his “Controlled Chaos” method as being the perfect blend of focused strength work, power training, and intense conditioning all mixed together into near perfect progressive-based training program.

-Short, strength based metabolic conditioning based session-Focus is on speed, power, and efficiency against the clock — it’s you against time-Little to no breaks if possible-Build lactate acid threshold, power and strength endurance

“CHAOS EXPOSURE” Training Video #2

In this video I go thought 2 more CHAOS EXPOSURE Session set ups (tomorrow I will show you 2 more)
This is a perfect blend of strength and conditioning to end off your regular strength workouts or combat skill-training session.

Kardio King – Get yourself ready for these as their designed to be lung burners that will help build up your overall ability to handle longer, slow-based conditioning sessions blended in with strength and power based movements.

Interval / Pace Training – These include AMRAP sets, power repeat’s, and time based intervals all designed to help you improve your lasting ability to be powerful and strong even while tired again and again and again.

Do you want more Chaos Exposure sessions and strength workouts? Click HERE

-Longer based cardio conditioning based session -Focus is on adding in a endurance / cardiovascular focus while also blending in a bit of strength for fun -Little to no breaks if possible – use the run or burpees as “breaks” -Builds cardiovascular system and strength depending on how you set it up

-Short bouts of HIGH intensity work -Focus is on going at a 95-100% effort for each round without letting effort drop off in later rounds -Blends light to heavy strength work with moderate rep light weight / bodyweight work -Strategic breaks are used to help keep intensity HIGH during work periods -Improves lactate acid threshold and recovery, plus strength and power endurance

Do you want more Chaos Exposure sessions and strength workouts? Click HERE

As a combat fighter in MMA, Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, Taekwondo and other martial arts, strength is the container from which all other physical qualities or training goals can be added.

If your goal is hypertrophy – the stronger you are the more weight you’ll be able to lift, the bigger you’ll get.

If your goal is power – the stronger you are, the more weight you’ll be able to lift at a faster pace, the more explosive you’ll get.

If you goal I explosiveness the stronger you are the more explosive you will be through the plyometric movements.

If your goal is endurance – the stronger you are, the more weight you’ll be able to lift for a longer, more metabolically demanding duration, thus building endurance.

Even cardiovascular (of all things), the stronger you are, the better you will be at any endurance event.

The squat, deadlift, bench press, and shoulder press are the best strength-building exercises, period. The pull-up and row are great moves too.

Below are the 10 best strength exercises for all fighters

1. Deadlifts
The deadlift is a amazing exercise for building your posterior chain (Hamstrings, glutes, lumbar) which are all extremely important for almost all physical movements in MMA and other combat sports.

A strong posterior chain is important for explosive movements like shooting for takedowns, throwing knee strikes in the clinch, hip throws and even sprawling to prevent takedowns.

The deadlift should ne the core strength workout for all fighters wanting to add strength and muscle to the entire body.
Other variations include sump deadlifts and trap-bar deadlifts

2. Barbell Squat Variations
Even though in the video I showed the back squat, I prefer the front squat and Zercher squats are the extremely effective for building upper and lower body strength. The front and Zercher squats allow you to fully extend the hips and force better technique.

The Zercher is easy on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. The back and the front squats demand good flexibility and skill in carrying the bar.

I include both these exercises in our Elite Strength & Conditioning program in the power and strength workouts – CLICK HERE

3. Weighted Pull Ups – Pull Up program

Weighted pull-ups is an upper body strengthening exercise where the body is suspended by the arms. Pull-ups increases punching power because when doing pull-ups the back and the core strengthens, which is a key element that adds power, along with the hips, when you throw a punch.

Also grapplers and strikers can benefit from the grip strength that you develop with pull and chin-ups.

The pronated or neutral grip are better for shoulder, elbow, and wrist durability. This is a must do for all fighters.

The Turkish Get-Up is a highly functional movement that requires all the muscles of the body working together in order to accomplish the task.

The Turkish Get-Up is a highly functional movement that requires all the muscles of the body working together in order to accomplish the movement. You need shoulder flexibility, stability and wrist strength.

The kettlebell method also has a strong effect on strengthening your grip, which is important for boxers, MMA and muay thai to help you punch harder

When this is performed correctly, the basic barbell military press is an exceptional upper body, trunk and cores strengthening exercise.

You can use the seated or standing military press versions. Because your rotator cuff is vulnerable when using this exercises, it is very important to perform the movement with proper form.

During the exercise keep your body tall and straight.
If executed properly, the hard work you put in on Standing Military Presses will pay out dividends to your overall conditioning.

7. Barbell Lunge Variations

The benefits of doing exercises for your legs one leg at a time are numerous. You will develop better coordination, get rid of muscle imbalance between your limbs and last but not least become athletic in a very functional manner.

You will also increase your hip flexor flexibility, which is key for grappling and throwing powerful kicks and punches. Doing lunges puts your body in a position to isolate and activate the glutes, which are used in most movements in martial arts.

The lunge will also help improve core stability. Variations of lunge that are effective are dumbbell and Zercher lunges.

The Row is a great pulling and back exercise. You will also improve the posterior chain. It is important to practice good form when performing this exercise by never allowing your spine to bend throughout the exercise.

With all of the upper body benefits it’s easy to overlook the full body stabilization effect of the barbell row. The bent over barbell row requires strength from the hands all the way down to the feet. The feet, legs, hips and core have to work just to maintain a stable position throughout the exercise.

9. Weighted Step Ups – Unilateral strength

All martial arts fighters can benefit from the weighted step-ups for lower body strength development. The strength and endurance benefits from this exercise transfer to many movements in martial arts. The quadriceps and glutes are the primary movers during the step-up exercise.

Secondary movers include stabilizers, which help stabilize the body during the movement, and synergist, including the adductors, or inner thigh muscles of the leading leg, and the calf muscles of the following leg. The hamstrings and calf muscles of the leading leg act as stabilizers, as do your lower back and stomach muscles.

10. Weighted Parallel Bar Dips

The dip is one of the best exercises to build chest, tris, shoulders muscles in a different angle and range of motion than pushups and bench press.

This is also an amazing exercise to develop upper body and push strength,. Because the parallel dips have no support you are forced to lift your entire bodyweight

Using these 10 exercises and lifting maximally builds the quality of absolute strength, which is just a quality that all fighters need. Your goal as a fighter is to develop enough absolute strength so you can fight and develop and improve your combat skill level and overall conditioning, so you can improve as an overall combat athlete.

Need a program to help you strength and conditioning workouts, scheduling and planning training sessions and Done For You meal and nutrition plans – CLICK HERE

With this list of various explosive movements it is important all MMA, Martial Arts and Combat Athletes incorporate plyometrics into their training routines.

Plyometrics training builds the explosive strength using natural dynamic movements such as jumping. Most fighters need intense energy bursts either throughout the entire fight or intermittently depending on the combat sport.

So needless to say the combat athletes who train with plyometrics usually perform better and are more explosive than their counterparts.

When you look at top MMA athletes that have explosive strength you think of UFC fighters like Georges St Pierre, Jon Jones, Anthony Pettis, Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo or even Muay Thai fighter Baukaw. It doesn’t just stop there, but I am sure you can pinpoint the most explosive fighters in your combat sport.

In todays post I will discuss what plyometrics are, why they are important to you and list my 10 Top Plyometrics Exercises for Fighters

Top 10 Plyometrics Exercises

What Are Plyometrics and a Little History

Plyometrics are basically a quick, powerful movement involving pre-stretching the muscle & activating the stretch- shortening cycle to produce stronger concentric contraction
It would be during one bitterly cold, snowy Russian winter that Yuri Verkhoshansky, a young coach at the Moscow Aeronautical Institute, would put together a training program for his jumpers to use during the winter months.

He developed a means of enhancing speed strength and called it the Shock Method. This method of training would be crucial to the success of many Russian jumpers and sprinters of the time, and would lead the western world, and in particular the U.S, to attempt to discover the methods of training being used, and in the end develop what we know as plyometrics today.

It was Fred Wilt, a US track coach in the 70’s, that is known to be the first to use the term plyometrics to describe the jump training that some U.S coaches were implementing with their athletes. After the Americans saw a Soviet athlete step off a box, jump in the air, the rest as they say is history.
As MMA and other combat sports start to involved more and more athletes are implementing explosive plyometrics into training.

I don’t want to get too scientific here. You can find a ton of information on the science of plyometrics on the web. My goal is to give you the basics of what plyometrics

Plyometrics is the science examining the explosive movement generated by muscle power, with particular application to sport training and performance. As power is the product of speed plus strength, the ability of an athlete to generate force in a short period of time is at the root of developing greater explosive effect.

Plyometrics training is designed to develop rapid alterations of eccentric and concentric contractions, while constant resistance is applied to the target muscle or muscle group.

When you improve your vertical jump, you are also improving your explosiveness, speed and agility. This means you’ll be able to jump higher, get off the floor more quickly, kick and punch with power and speed, move in and out fast and explode for takedowns, throwing flying knees and defend much more efficiently.

Using plyometrics training also develops your fast twitch muscles fibers, particularly IIB, as they produce greater peak power and more force at higher velocities.

For most combat sports like MMA, muay thai, wrestling, taekwondo, grappling and others it is advantage to develop high percentage of fast twitch muscles fibres in your body.

Before performing plyometrics for martial arts you should be thoroughly warmed up. Not only will it help to prevent injury but it can also increase the effectiveness of the drills. It does this by increasing the sensitivity of the muscle spindle, which contains the fibres (called intrafusal fibres) that register the amount of stretch within a muscle.

Plyometric Training Guidelines

Here are some more important guidelines when performing plyometrics for martial arts:

Strength Guidelines for Plyometrics - requires that you have a solid strength base as a prerequisite. UFC and S&C Coach Eric Wong lays out some amazing guidelines below for strength requirements before starting plyometric training.

For lower body 2 foot plyometrics, a minimum level of strength required is a 5RM Back Squat with bodyweight. For 1 foot plyoz, I’d up that to at least a 5RM Back Squat of 1.5 x Bodyweight.

Without these minimum levels of strength in the Back Squat (or comparable exercise), the knees will get hammered and you risk a meniscus injury or problems with your patella, since the muscles won’t be able to absorb the force and it will all go into the other joint structures. And there’s nothing worse for explosive power development than injuring a ligament or meniscus.

For upper body plyometrics, a 1RM Bench Press of 1.0 x Bodyweight would be the minimum I’d recommend, for the same reasons as the Back Squat, except here it will be the shoulder and elbows taking the beating.

1. Perform lower body plyometric exercises on a soft surface such as grass or exercise mat.
2. Two to sessions of plyometrics per week with at least 48 hours rest between sessions
3. Taking a 2 to 5min rest in between sets is essential. The goal is not fatigue but to complete each repetition with the maximum amount of speed and intensity.
4. A plyometric session should not contain more than 120 ground contacts for any muscle group.
5. Do not add extra load such as ankle weights as this can lead to injury and negatively effects the quality of the drills.
6. Make sure to keep the torso erect during the movements — it prevents undue strain on the lower back.

Plyometric training should be progressive in volume with low reps and sets, but with maximum effort. These movements together do NOT make up a workout but are my 10 exercises that all fighters should implement into their overall strength and conditioning training throughout the year.

Please refer to the strength guidelines above before trying these exercises, start with basic movements, low boxes, good technique and low reps.

1. Barbell Jump Squats – This is an advanced movement and should be performed after you can do bodyweight jump squats efficiently and you have lower body strength.

Great exercise to develop explosive takedown strength and also speed and stamina for strikers and kickers.

2. Plyo Push Ups – Probably the nest upper body explosive exercises and when you can get the entire off the ground then it becomes a full body exercises. Pushing, punching, grappling and overwhelming your opponent are all benefits you will get form this exercise

3. Skipping/Jump Rope – the simplest yet least used plyometrics exercises by most athletes (not talking to you muay thai fighters and boxers out there, you get it)

I can’t understand why fighters don’t warm up with and incorporate skipping into training. This is a great fast twitch muscle builder, especially for strikers.

4. Tuck Jumps - this is explosive movement also helps to develop dynamic power in the legs and overall agility. The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete’s body weight

5. Box Jumps – great explosive lower body and glute exercise to help develop power needed for takedowns.

6. Explosive Step Ups - This unilateral explosive movement works each leg separately. Many movements in martial arts start and end with one leg, so training unilaterally (one limb at a time) is crucial.

7. Lateral Jumps – One Legged Hops - Lateral plyometric jumps are advanced exercises that can be used to develop power, agility and balance. Because most martial arts and combat sports incorporate side-to-side movements, it would be optimal to practicing these moves during training.
Lateral movements, both bilateral and unilateral not only improve strength, stability and coordination, they also help reduce the risk of injuries by enhancing balance and proprioception through the whole body.

8. Med Ball Throws
Using a weighed medicine ball adds intensity and builds punching strength.
Med Ball Throw and Sprawls develop upper body explosiveness along with adding an explosive sprawl to the ground. Med Ball Chest Passes are great for developing fast twitch muscles in the upper body, which you will benefit from if you want to throw more powerful punches.

Speaking of powerful punches, the hip rotation is where most of your punching and kicking power is generated so side rotation med ball wall throws are great to help develop explosiveness.

9. Bounding – Long Jumps
This is a great way to develop lower body explosive strength and power. You will need overall lower body strength to perform these effectively and so you do not injure yourself with aggravated knees and sore shins.

10. Depth Jumps
In my opinion there isn’t an exercise more effective for increasing lower body explosive power than properly executed depth jumps. This movement puts a huge stimulus on the CNS and can lead to huge improvements in explosiveness. The key is performing them correctly.
When you contact the ground from the drop, your time to explode back into their air should be minimized with your heels not hitting the ground.

There are benefits to all bodyweight exercises for fighters, yet some are more beneficial to others when it comes to developing the strength and conditioning attributes needed to be an all around great combat athlete.

No matter if you are a hobbyist, beginner, amateur or seasoned professional.

I would like to share with you my top 33-bodyweight exercises that all athletes should implement into your overall training.

If you struggle with any of these exercises, then you are limiting your strength and what you can do in your sport.

Instructions:
Combine coffee and coconut oil in a blender and mix for 1 minute and drink. You can add sweetener for taste.

Super Pre Training Energy Coffee

This is great concoction if you want super energy for your training and workout sessions.

The coffee is a stimulant and the caffeine releases fatty acids into the blood stream available for burning during your workout.

Virgin coconut oil is one of the world’s premier natural thermogenic agents. Coconut oil is the edible oil extracted from the meat of matured coconuts. Virgin coconut oil, on the other hand, is extracted from fresh coconut meat by wet-milling, sun-drying, presses, centrifuges, or grating.

The coconut oil is a medium-chained triglycerides (medium chained fatty acid) with a great source of energy. They are not used by the body like fats, but rather like carbohydrates. This means that medium-chain fatty acids do not circulate freely in the blood or get stored away to add to body weight. Instead, they are sent to the liver, where they are immediately converted to energy.

That’s right: This fat is not stored as fat but directly used up to generate energy, which speeds your metabolism.

The wife and I have recently been juicing like crazy. It’s been a few months now and the health benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables are huge.

Today I am going to show you a video of one of the many recipes that we have use.

Of everything we’ve done over the last few years, juicing has been one of the most important steps I’ve taken to achieve bigger gains and feel like a million bucks. Plus juicing is very beneficial to athletes; those that want to build muscle, weight loss or burn fat.

Funky Detox Madness
The beet, cucumber and carrots in this blend work like maniacs at cleaning your digestive tract and your kidneys.

• 4 1/2 large carrots
• 1 piece of ginger
• 1 large beet
• 3 cucumbers
• 2 pears
Remove the stem end of the beet (unless it’s organic) and the tops from the carrots before juicing.

Top 10 Juicing Benefits and 101 Great Recipes (Video)

This post is a bit lengthy but it’s essential you understand the top ten benefits of juicing and why juicing can have such a huge impact on your muscle building and fat loss goals. These aren’t in any particular order – they’re all essential so get focused and lets dive in.

1. Wider range of micronutrients
Very few men get anywhere near the micronutrients they need from whole foods, specifically whole vegetables and fruits. We are very good about watching that protein intake, but take in far fewer than the 16-20 daily servings of vegetables and fruits we need for optimal health. Instead, we load up on hundreds of dollars’ worth of highly processed nutritional supplements.

Unfortunately, those nutritional supplements are often made with inferior ingredients and even those end up being largely destroyed by the digestive process, never making it to our muscles, immune systems and organs where they’re needed.

Juicing allows you to get those 16-20 servings of fresh vegetables and fruits in as few as two servings a day and to get a huge variety of those whole foods. This supplies your body with a huge dose and variety all of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you need to optimize both health and growth.

2. Improved immune system
Those antioxidants that you will get through juicing fresh vegetables and fruits will have an enormous impact on your immune system. You might not think your immune system has much to do with building muscle, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our immune systems work on a triage system. They take the resources they have available (such as antioxidants) and distribute them based on priority.

Unfortunately, building bigger biceps is not very high on that list of priorities if you’re not getting an abundance of micronutrients. Your immune system is more concerned with fighting infection, battling the effects of stress and free radicals, getting rid of toxins, wastes and bacteria in your digestive tract and several other more urgent tasks. If you have any resources left over, then your immune system may spare them for repairing and rebuilding muscle fibers. Juicing gives you that surplus of micronutrients so that your immune system has plenty left over for muscle recovery and muscle building.

3. Improved digestive health
The typical Westerner has a digestive system that is functioning far below optimal levels. Not only do we eat a ton of junk, but we also just don’t eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables to detoxify our bodies or clean out our digestive tracts. This causes a few serious problems that affect not only our overall health but our muscle-building goals as well.

First, we’re in an almost constant state of malnutrition. Not only do we not take in enough vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; we also don’t absorb the micronutrients we do eat. Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are absorbed in the small intestine. If that small intestine is packed with toxin and waste build-up, the body isn’t able to absorb those micronutrients before they’re pushed right out of the body. In effect, all of those micronutrients are going right into the toilet.

If you’re not sure what this has to do with building muscle, let’s look at Vitamin C. Vitamin C is the key micronutrient used to repair and regenerate your body’s cells. But our bodies don’t make Vitamin C and they don’t store much of it, either. You have to get plenty of it every day. Unfortunately, your body is going to use that triage system we talked about earlier and since it needs that Vitamin C for every one of your body’s trillion or so cells, repairing muscle fibers broken down during your work out this morning may be low on the list.

A sluggish digestive system also hampers the balance of hormones such as insulin, testosterone and cortisol and makes it difficult for the body to burn stored fat as energy. Correcting your digestive system through mega-doses of vitamins and other micronutrients is essential to being able to lose fat and build new muscle.

4. Juicing provides micronutrients that are more bio-available
Juicing doesn’t just provide you with a huge supply of micronutrients; it also provides them in a more bio-available form. The process of juicing removes most or all of the fiber from whole fruits and vegetables. Because there’s no fiber, the foods don’t have to be broken down in order to extract the micronutrients. They hit your bloodstream immediately and are able to be used right away to nourish your muscles and the rest of your body. Also, because the fruits and vegetables have been juiced in a raw state, there’s no degradation of the nutrients through cooking.

5. More energy, from a healthy source
Juicing is one of the best things you can do to increase your energy levels. Because all of those B-vitamins and other micronutrients have a straight shot to your body’s cells, drinking a glass of juice is like downing an espresso. This means you have the energy to make it to the gym even after a hard day and that you can work out harder when you get there.

6. Fighting inflammation and winning
Our poor diets and sickened digestive systems have resulted in most of us suffering from some degree of chronic inflammation. Inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses, such as heart disease and stroke, but also interferes with your muscle-building goals. It can seriously slow down the muscle recovery process and can also lead to metabolic syndrome, which will result in fat storage rather than fat loss.

Two of the biggest causes of inflammation are oxidative stress and high blood sugar. Juicing helps with both. The antioxidant content in all of the fresh vegetables and fruits help battle the free radicals caused by oxidative stress and increased insulin sensitivity prevents metabolic syndrome.

7. Hormone balance and regulation
I’ve already talked about the positive impact juicing can have on insulin levels and insulin sensitivity. But the antioxidants in your juices, especially those from deeply colored produce such as beets, red peppers, berries and carrots, are also known to help lower cortisol levels. Less cortisol in your bloodstream stimulates your body to let go of stored fat, turning it back into glycogen to be used as fuel for your muscles.

8. Faster recovery for faster gains
Because of the immediate and regular supply of antioxidants you will be getting through juicing, you will experience a huge improvement in muscle recovery. Not only will your immune system have the resources to rebuild muscle tissue, but corrected insulin levels mean better oxygen uptake by your muscles, speeding the recovery process even more.

9. Increased testosterone levels
The same antioxidants and phytochemicals that decrease cortisol also help to increase testosterone levels. Increased testosterone means bigger gains and greater strength to keep achieving those gains.

10. A multi-step attack on body fat
As I’ve explained in several other points, juicing can be a huge help in helping you to burn stored fat so that you uncover those muscle gains and see serious definition. Lower insulin and cortisol levels signal your body to turn stored fat back into glycogen and burn it as fuel. A digestive system working at optimal levels means faster metabolism and greater nutrient absorption, which speeds fat loss and prevents new fat from being stored as well. Higher energy levels help to power you through your workouts and propel you to the next level.

In addition to these muscle-building benefits, you’ll feel cleaner and lighter, have much better memory and focus, have more stable moods (due to blood sugar regulation) and even better erections from the increased testosterone. As an extra bonus, you’ll save a ton of money on supplements that you no longer need.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to start juicing and you don’t have to spend a lot of time doing it once you do get started. A couple of minutes a couple of times a day are all it takes to see serious results in just a week or two.

I’ve showed you ten great reasons to make juicing a part of your training, fat loss or muscle-building program. I can’t think of a single reason not to include it.

Now that you know the benefits, it’s time you learn the best juicing recipes. Pick up a copy of their brand new recipe guide, Get Juiced: 101 Muscle Charging Juicing Recipes

Adding 10 Minute finishers at the end of your skill training session is a great way to quickly improve your overall cardio and conditioning.

Your skill sessions are usually strenuous and having to leave and head over to another gym to perform your weight training is not always feasible.

Adding a short but intense 10-minute circuit after you skill training will make it convenient for you to get some quick conditioning in. Using these after each session will soon add up and you will quickly find your overall cardio improve.

Do not substitute this training strategy for overall strength & conditioning but adding these short circuits will benefit you in the long run.

For example, if you train BJJ, two times a week and Muay Thai and MMA the other two days, then right off the bat you are getting 4 short HIIT circuits each week.

Over time your anaerobic conditioning will improve rapidly.

Use this 10-minute finisher after you combat and martial arts skill training session

Tabata Finisher
8 Rounds of 20 sec of work follow by 10 sec rest.
Rest 2 minutes after first Tabata and repeat for exercise two.

Bodyweight workout for MMA, martial arts and combat fighters and those that want to look like one.

Bodyweight workouts are great to use at the gym, at home or even outside when you don’t have access to equipment but still need an effective workout.

BeastMode Bodyweight Workouts- Metabolic Circuit

Workout Instructions – Pro Version
Perform each as many reps of each exercise for 60 seconds followed by 15 seconds rest one after the other with no rest.
Amateur 30 – 15 sec
Semi-Pro 45 -15 sec
Rest for 2 minutes and repeat for 3 full rounds.

Plain and simple the stronger you are the better overall performance during training and in competition you will have.

Strength is your container.

Why is that significant?

Because it says everything about how you should train and develop as a combat fighter who is interested in improving both physically and mentally.

Strength is the container from which all other physical qualities or training goals can be added.

If your goal is hypertrophy – the stronger you are the more weight you’ll be able to lift, the bigger you’ll get.

If your goal is power – the stronger you are, the more weight you’ll be able to lift at a faster pace, the more explosive you’ll get.

If your goal is endurance – the stronger you are, the more weight you’ll be able to lift for a longer, more metabolically demanding duration, thus building endurance.

Even cardiovascular (of all things), the stronger you are, the better you will be at any endurance event.

In a 2008 study conducted by Oyvind Storen et al in Norway, 2 groups of runners were tested.

Group 1 (the control group) performed their standard endurance training runs 4 days per week.

Group 2 performed their standard 4 days of training runs in addition to 3 days per week of barbell squat focused training.

At the end of 8 weeks, the strength training group not only became stronger, but also more powerful – they were able to generate force much more quickly – and displayed a 5% increase in running economy and a 21% improvement (!) in a tested treadmill run to exhaustion.

The non-strength training group displayed no increase on either mark.

The goal of any and every trainee/athlete that ever crosses my path from that point forward has always been (and will always be) to increase the size of their “container”.

The bigger the container (the stronger you become) the better you’ll be as a fighter.

With all movement patterns and (lack of) muscle imbalances being equal, the individual with a container the size of a swimming pool will always be able to physically out perform better than the one with the shot glass.

Strength will always be your limitation to performance or your best ally to get you through.

So how do you get stronger?

By training with kettlebells using Maximum Tension For Maximum Strength and Overall Conditioning

If you are still wasting your time with traditional weight training routines that you find in the popular “bodybuilding” magazines.

You have to STOP NOW!

Just getting “bigger” is not going to help you develop overall strength. You need to get stronger in the right areas and in the right way.

Plus these routines were NOT designed for the combat fighter that must improve multiple key attributes needed to be a better athlete.

It’s important to understand, you do not have time to FOOL AROUND with these SILLY ROUTINES that leave you with SUB PAR results and worst of all still STRIVING to improve your overall strength and conditioning.

You need to build explosiveness for ferocious takedowns, muscular endurance to out grapple your opponent into submission, harder kicks, more powerful knockout punches, long lasting cardio, and brute strength to throw, lift and manhandle your opponent.

This is the KEY TO VICTORY!

The stronger individual has the potential to develop all the physical attributes needed as a combat fighter

So how do you learn to acquire the skill of strength to help you maximize your performance?

Your time is limited with skill training and everyday life, you need to train smart and your strength and conditioning needs to give you the best bang for your buck, by achieving maximum overall improvement.

Training with kettlebells is amazing for strikers. You can drastically improve your power, muscular endurance, explosive strength and cardio for your combat sport.

Movement patterns for kettlebell training can be similar to the movements used in Martial Arts, whether you’re punching, grappling, throwing or kicking they all involve all of the same biomechanics that you will use in the Kettlebell for Fighters program.

For a striker it is important to generate power for explosive punches and kicks. The ballistic movements of kettlebells can train for power better than most other weightlifting protocols. You can also use kettlebells to train unilateral movements you see in sports like boxing and kickboxing.

Dynamic hip extension and rotational movements is another important component in punching and kicking power. Certain lifts can train the posterior chain in order to get hip extension and rotation.

Kettlebell training is also great for shoulder stability and strength, something that is key for fighters.
This workout is designed to make you more explosive, powerful and stronger, while improving your core strength, muscular endurance and cardio. It is broken up into two sections.

Part 1 is your strength circuit. Make sure you use a heavier kettlebell that is challenging but will not compromise your technique.

Part 2 is your conditioning circuit, which will develop both you anaerobic system, grip and endurance. Once again use a kettlebell that will challenge you.

The Figure 8 Uppercut exercise is awesome for creating rotational power. You can see that this drills movement is similar to a fighter throwing an uppercut punch.

This movement really focuses on generating power from the legs and hips then transferring it though the core

One Arm Kettlebell Swings

This exercise is an amazing multi-joint compound movement that builds strength and endurance in the muscles along the posterior chain (ie. Glutes, hamstrings, abs, back extensors).

These are what we call the “Go” muscles, which are the ones that develop athleticism. If you want to hit harder, run faster, jump higher and be more explosive, then work the posterior chain. It is where you will generate, apply and sustain maximum power generation.

An incredible exercise for cardio and metabolic conditioning, kettlebell swing variations helps you to develop grip strength, core strength and strength endurance in the lower back.

Pistol Squat
Athletes who want increased leg strength their athleticism and mobility should learn to master this exercise.

There is a great benefit to combat athletes working single leg exercises as most of the movement in competition start form one leg.

When you use single limb training it also prevents hip girdle, lower back and lower body imbalances.

Renegade Rows
Not only are renegade rows excellent for your upper back and lats but it also works the core and obliques.

The Anti Rotation being worked in the obliques and hips translate into the power you need to generate when throwing punches, kicks and also to avoid throws, trips and tosses.

Because you are off balance with the Renegade Row, the abdominal muscles are working to maintain balance.

This is an awesome workout for grapplers, BJJ and wrestlers as it’s a full body exercises that helps with hip explosion, muscular endurance, grip and pulling strength, core, shoulder stability, balance and cardio.

Today’s circuit uses a kettlebell complex, which combines 5 exercises into one full movement. I call it the Turkish ManMakers. It is supersetted with dead hang Chin Ups.

If you need the tutorials of how to perform some of the lifts individually like the Turkish Get Up, Snatch and Clean then watch the videos below the workout.

This is great for both conditioning and packing on some impressive muscle.

2) Being able to control & resist momentum.

Think about the first time you tried to swing heavy double kettlebells.

Do you remember those KBs “throwing” you forward because you were unaware of the force and momentum they created?

Sure they were probably only a percentage of your bodyweight, but when you take into account the speed at which you are moving them, well, the “physics” change and they become much heavier.

So to be able to accommodate for the added weight, you had to make sure that you were properly routed into the ground and understand how much you’d have to counterbalance that weight with your bodyweight so wouldn’t get thrown.

You’re resisting and overcoming the momentum created by the accelerated kettlebells.

This isn’t any different from an opponent trying to throw you or spin you while you’re in the clinch.

3) Mastering tension & relaxation.

What makes a punch hurt?

Tension.

When someone delivers a hit, their entire body must tense on contact to be able to make the blow impactful. Otherwise you get a soft hit or worse, a broken hand.

Now think about swinging a single kettlebell with one arm. When you swing, you direct your force to the horizon through the kettlebell.

This is exactly the same reaction that your body has when you deliver a punch.

Immediately following the hit, your joints go soft and you go back into a state of relaxation the same way your glutes & quads have to relax when you hike-pass the kettlebell through your knees on the back swing.

Kettlebell ballistics are all about mastering & managing the relationship between tension & relaxation. If you’re always tense, then you’ll gas out pretty quickly.

Conversely, if you’re relaxed when you swing (or punch), then your ability to produce force is diminished and you leak energy.

4) The ability to manipulate your body under load.

Grappling and Jiu Jitsu are 2 awesome arts that fighters better have some knowledge in if they expect to be successful. Case in point, if you saw the Gustafsson vs Jones fight, Gustafsson continued to avoid Jon Jones trying to take the fight “to the mat”.

Gustafsson knew that Jones was a former collegiate wrestler so he possesses far greater skill on the mat than the former Swedish boxing champ.

So Gustafsson avoided Jones’ attempts at taking him down because he’d be at a complete disadvantage.

Had Jones taken him down, Gustafsson would have had to try to manage the skillful wrestling of Jones while on his back maneuvering his body with Jones over top of him to avoid getting into a submission hold.

This maneuvering can be likened to doing heavy get-ups or even a bent press where you must master body movement while maintaining load over top of you.

So with all that being said, try this double kettlebell complex today for your training and train like I would train a fighter…

1) Heavy Get-Up Singles using your pressing weight or one above. Do single reps, alternating sides, and try to get as many reps in as you can in 10 minutes.

Then, grab a pair of doubles (pressing size or heavier) and perform ballistics…

2a) Double Cleans x 3-5

2b) Double Swings x 3-5

Do the ballistics for 10 minutes doing the superset “on the minute”. So perform the exercises at the top of each minute and then rest for the remainder of the time.

Playing out in the school yard, there was that one fat kid, who, when the recess bell rang and everyone had to get back to class, always ended up last in line, out of breath, sweat pouring down his forehead from the 40 foot sprint from the sandbox to the classroom door.

That was Chris Lopez.

Now, fast forward almost 30 years and Chris is one of the most sought after experts in the field of kettlebell fat loss training.

Chris is a 13 year veteran in the fitness and strength & conditioning field getting certified as a personal trainer while completing his Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph back in 2000.

He is now an NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, The 1st Certified Turbulence Trainer and now a Master Trainer with Turbulence Training and one of only two Level 2 StrongFirst Girya (SFG2) Kettlebell Instructors in all of Canada.

Chris, a former varsity volleyball player, is also an assistant coach with the Canadian National Beach Volleyball Team and a strength & conditioning consultant with Team Ontario Volleyball and the head strength & conditioning coach for the Volleyball Canada Centre of Excellence in Toronto.

These days, Chris can be found in various downtown espresso shops, listening to ‘90s hip hop in the park while training with kettlebells or with his wife carting their 5 kids around on his Opafiets (dutch for “Grandpa bike”) through the streets of downtown Toronto.

If it wasn’t for the days when his mom would purposely “sauce up” the rice on his dinner plate with bacon fat to make him “healthier”, Chris probably wouldn’t have the drive today to want to get anyone in shape – let alone himself.

There is no substitute for kettlebell training when it comes for all combat fighters, whether you are a striker, grappler or engage in both, kettlebells are needs to be part of every fighter at all levels.

Building explosive hip extension and power are 2 attributes all combat artist strive for and the snatch and kettlebell swing are some of the best exercise to develop them.

The Snatch for Fighters
The snatch is a great total-body exercise that builds amazing muscular and cardio respiratory endurance. It will also help you build explosive power and your entire posterior chain (abdominal muscle, truck extensors and hip joint muscles) as well as shoulders and grip.

The snatch is an exercise that needs to be practiced because it’s very technical from where you take the kettlebell from the end of the back swing to the overhead finish position in one uninterrupted movement.

For a fighter, there is no better exercise to help you develop your explosive power, shoulder stability and overall cardio conditioning.

Kettlebell Swings for Fighters

There is no better exercise than explosive hip extension then kettlebell swings. You will also activate and develop glutes and power endurance. Best of all it’s pretty easy to learn and use safely.

Today we have a Kettlebell Conditioning workout straight from the new Kettlebell for Fighters program that I am collaborating on with Trainer Chris Lopez, SFG II.

As much as I’d like to say that Maximum Tension (MxT) is a cutting edge new technique, I’d be lying. It’s a technique that has been around for centuries and one that has been mastered by martial artists, strongmen, powerlifters and combat athletes for generations.

It boggles my mind, now that I am starting to grasp how important this trick is, that using MxT for gaining strength and fat loss isn’t more prevalent in the fitness industry.

Maybe it’s because it’s hard to teach (it isn’t really).

In truth, mastering MxT is all about YOU. It’s about your dedication to practice and to understanding what needs to be done to get stronger and incidentally, lose ridiculous amounts of fat in the process.

Strength is a SKILL.

Using maximum tension requires you to generate nerve force by tensing all muscles in your body to move the desired load.

You have to consciously remember to contract all of your muscles when performing your grinds and lifts until it gets engrained in your nervous system as a habit.
And so when you will practice using MxT in your training – from your get-ups to your presses to your hardstyle planks to alternating waves of tension and relaxation when you’re doing your swings.

Below is a kettlebell strength workout for combat fighters using the MxT method. It is sneak peek at our new program Kettlebell for Fighters. It’s the first part of a two-part training day.

Check it out, try it and stay tuned for more Kettlebell training that will take your strength and conditioning to the ultimate level.

PROTOCOL – Set a timer for 15 minutes. Start the timer and perform 3 Double KB Front Squats. Rest if necessary by putting the kettlebells down. Re-Clean the kettlebells and perform a Double Kettlebell Press for 2 reps. Set the kettlebells down and rest if necessary.
Rest only if necessary and repeat the above protocol.

Did you know that having tight hip flexors can lead to serious back pain, nagging knee injuries and inhibit your ability to kick high, grapple affectively, exert power and dominate in your combat sport.

Check out this video that I did with my buddy Eric Wong and then go download his free PDF “3 Freaky Flexibility Techniques to Unlock Your Tight Hips” – Download HERE

The calf muscle is one of the most under-trained body part there is. Yet everyone ogles over well developed, ripped to shred calves. When it comes to the athlete wanting to jump higher, punch harder or increase lower leg strength, the calf must not be overlooked.

This calf routine will help you increase your strength as well as explosiveness, endurance and power.

Strong calves come in all shapes and sizes and having “Bulky” calves does not correlate with their strength. Some people are just born with big toned calves from day one, but are still weak. The goal is to get your calves in shape so they function better and decrease your chance of injury.

Let’s face it, you overall strength is not going to decrease because your calves are not string enough, but when you train your legs with compound movements, your calves will grow.

The calf muscle is made of two main muscles

Courtesy of WebMD

• The gastrocnemius is the larger calf muscle, forming the bulge visible beneath the skin. The gastrocnemius has two parts or “heads,” which together create its diamond shape. These muscles are fast twitch fibres, which are larger and responsible for more explosiveness power. Sprinters, jumpers in volleyball/basketball and fighters wanting punching power and muscular endurance

• The soleus is a smaller, flat muscle that lies underneath the gastrocnemius muscle. These are made of slow twitch muscle fibres, which are smaller and responsible for helping to build strength.

Just by working the gastrocnemius muscle, you will add some size on your calf, especially if you have not worked the calves in a while.

When working the calf, it is important that you do not try to increase the range of motion in your ankle unless advised by a Therapist.

Exaggerating your range of motion, going below parallel, will stretch your tendon and is very dangerous.

If you want to add size and mass to your ankles then exaggerating by holding the bottom and top movements for 3-6 seconds is the safer and more effective way to go.

So if you are looking for a quick calf routine that focus on function rather than your look, then add this calf workout to your overall training.

Adding the Ultimate Sandbag as a training tool is essential for any MMA or Combat Athlete.

Think about it, as a striker when you are in a clinch you have to constantly use the stabilizing muscles to shift and try to control your opponent.

As a BJJ Artist or Grappler you have to use your muscles isometrically and engage the core to hold opponents in guard or attempt submissions.

As a wrestler you are constantly transitioning and incorporating power movements against the opponents’ unpredictable bodyweight.

So I went ahead and ripped up three Sandbag Workouts dedicated to the MMA Athlete. Of course anyone can use these workouts or incorporate some of the exercises, but I had the MMA Athlete in mind when I create them.

Here is a 3-Part Sandbag Workout Series for Combat and MMA Athletes. (3 VIDEOS)

MMA SANDBAG WORKOUT FOR STRIKERS

MMA SANDBAG WORKOUT FOR BJJ AND GRAPPLERS

MMA SANDBAG WORKOUT FOR WRESTLERS

Training with the sandbag can help athletes train more effectively for different movements that you will face in fight. You can also train all 8 essential abilities for the MMA athletes: strength, power, endurance, speed, agility, co-ordination, balance, and flexibility using the Ultimate Sandbag.

Sandbags stimulate more muscles than using barbells, bodyweight and dumbbells. Because sandbags change their shape as you lift them, the body has to recruit the big prime movers as well as the stabilizers to perform all the lifts. This means we are training more muscles leading to a better result! Sandbags allow you to train for grip strength as well.

Holding the sandbag in different positions makes you work the core harder. The weight actually tries to pull your body forward and your trunk must resist or the core has to prevent the body when the weight is loaded on the side.
The shifting nature of sand works great to mimic a moving opponent. If you don’t have a sandbag, than I highly recommend the Ultimate Sandbag, but you can also make your own sandbag.

Oh and add that when training with sandbag, you are using compound lifts which is the key element in fat loss programs.
Bottom line is as an MMA Athlete; you need to add the Ultimate Sandbag training into your Strength and Conditioning program.

Funk Roberts

Workout Instructions for all Sandbag Workouts

10 Exercise Circuit – Complete 3 Full Rounds – 41 Minutes

Perform each exercise in succession for 60 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds rest. You will do as many reps as you can, in that duration, then move on to the next exercise.

After you complete all 10 exercises or one round in succession you will rest for 2 minutes.

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I put together the Burpee 28 to really add a challenging element to an already effective exercise. The burpee is the ultimate full body exercise as it uses almost every muscle in your body to perform.

Burpees are a staple in my a lot of workouts and training programs, but I wanted to turn it up a notch, so I took the Burpee Pull-Up exercise and broke it down into four separate components (exercises) and created Funk’s Burpee 28’s. (It’s actually similar biceps 21 exercise if you are familiar with it)

BENEFITS OF BURPEE 28
The Funk Burpee 28 Workout is total body training because of the numerous joint actions involved in performing this effective exercise.

The first part of the exercise is the Lower Body Thrust to Push Ups (Frog Thrusts) which target the chest, shoulders, triceps, abs and core.

The second part of the exercise is the Jump Squat which hits the quads, hammies, glutes and burns the crap out of your legs.

The third part of the exercise is the Jump to Pull Up which continues to burn the legs but now work your back, shoulders and upper body strength.

The fourth part of the exercise is the full Burpee-Pull Up which targets pretty much every muscle in your now fatigued body.

AWESOME!

HOW TO PERFORM FUNK’S BURPEE 28

This workout is broken into four parts where you will perform 7 reps of each exercise without rest until you complete all 28 reps, hence the Burpee 28’s. Rest for 2 minutes and perform 3-5 sets. NOTE: The rest is important as you want your body to come to full recovery, so you can perform the explosive exercises to capacity.

You can add this workout to your workout programs, MMA training or use it as a stand-alone strength, conditioning and fat burning workout.

The burpee is the ultimate full body exercise. It works almost every muscle in your body in one short sequence of movements. We have all performed a burpee or two in our lifetime and like me, you probably hated doing them too.

But the effectiveness of this workout is the reason why the military, martial artists, football and other sports teams, Cross Fitter’s, fitness enthusiasts and smart personal trainers use the burpee in their training programs.

The benefits of adding burpees to your workouts bode well for you and your overall fitness and look:
Improve your conditioning and endurance – burpees use so many muscles that, in very simple terms, your heart and lungs just can’t keep up.

A set of burpees will force your body to work far above your capacity to take in, transport and utilize oxygen and, subsequently, your anaerobic conditioning will improve.

Burn fat – the burpee is one of the best exercises to burn fat. Studies have shown that high intensity exercises, like burpees, burn up to 50% more fat than conventional strength training exercises. Get off those boring elliptical machines and start doing burpees.

I recommend that you add burpees to your workout regime and you will notice an increase in strength, your overall cardio and conditioning and you will burn fat like never before.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been using a new program to help build my overall strength that I lost the past few months as I focused more on cutting weight, getting ripped and more muscular.

I actually lost strength during this time and it’s important to me to regain it back.

So the guys from Critical Bench hooked me up with their new 8 week strength program.

The Anabolic AfterGrowth workout has you doing ONLY compound movements.

The primary lifts are done using heavier loads at lower rep ranges to make you stronger very quickly. The secondary compound lifts are done at moderate rep ranges to help with muscle size and the pump.

In conjunction with that amazing approach, we’ve also added a bonus day every other week to give you even more mass gains!

By implementing an ultra-high rep day for the Bench and Squat, you can expect to totally confuse and excite your muscles.

In this video you are going to see me perform one set of each ultra high 25 rep set for the Bench and Squat.